Designing Devices for 3D Printing

To demonstrate the system, MIT researchers designed and fabricated a variety of objects and say that it can even create a bone that may someday be used for surgical planning. (Credit: MIT)

A research team has developed a system for custom designing a variety of 3D printed objects with multiple materials. They say the system could be used for practical applications in the medical field such as creating high-quality replicas of objects like bones for surgeons to practice on or for developing more comfortable dentures and other products that would benefit from having both soft and rigid components.

The system allows users to vary the material properties at a very fine resolution that hasn’t been possible before. It enables designers to mix and match any combination of materials and also assign specific properties to different parts of the object, combining operators together to make new ones. To make a cube that is both rigid and elastic, a designer assigns a “rigid operator” to make one part rigid and an “elastomer operator” to the other part elastic; a third “gradient operator” connects the two and introduces a gradual transition between materials.

Users can preview their design in real time, rather than having to wait until the final steps in the printing process to see what it will look like. The team would like to create a community of designers who can share new operators with each other to expand the possibilities of what can be produced. They also hope to integrate the system into the workflow of existing CAD systems.

MDB Digital Magazine

Free Product Samples

Qosina Stocks Barbed Check Valves

Qosina added eight new barbed check valves (#80500-#80507) to its line of stock components. Available in three different configurations, these components have a low cracking pressure, provide controlled directional flow and eliminate the need for bonding. Visit Qosina.com today to request samples!

MDB - INSIDE STORY

Christopher Scott

To find out more about the expertise that Eurofins brings to this area, and the company's plans for expansion into the United States, Medical Device Briefs recently spoke with Christopher Scott, vice president of Eurofins Medical Device Testing.